Barrington Police responded to the former Carmelite monastery at about 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 26, after an alarm signaled that there was an intruder in the building. 

Police checked the town-owned structure that sits empty on Watson Avenue and discovered that a screen door at the rear of the property had been cut. The police dispatch log states that the alarm indicated movement in the community room and library inside the monastery.

Police checked the building but did not find anyone there. A crew from the Barrington Department of Public Works responded to the monastery and secured the rear door. Police also completed a full check of the building and made sure it was secured. 

Town officials have cautioned about properties left vacant for too long, and they point to the north end of town as an example. The former Zion Bible College campus, vacant for more than a decade, has been the repeated target of vandals and trespassers. 

As for the monastery property, Barrington residents voted in favor of a plan to develop the parcel. The plan calls for the town to sell a portion of the property to a developer for $1; that developer will build age-restricted cottages. (The town is expected to close with the developer by the end of the year.)

The town will also divide another piece of the property into six single-family house lots and sell those independent of the cottages. The remaining piece of the monastery property will be turned into a public park.